One Rainy Night
by Reina Ariadne
Summary: Gojyo's always suspected that Hakkai was actually just plain batshit crazy, and now the proof was standing right there in front of him. Because what kind of madman did you have to be to bring umbrellas to a gun fight? An extension of "Gojyo and Hakkai's Chapter" in Saiyuki Reload: Burial. Rated T for swearing because, y'know, Gojyo's in it.


Author's note: I can't believe that after 10-something years of watching/reading Saiyuki, I never thought to write a fic for it!

But I love this OVA so much because it shows how Gojyo and Hakkai became best friends instead of just housemates (take that, Banri)! I felt that there was still so much potential that can be explored in the episode though, so I wrote it the way I wanted to see it. Heh. I tried to go deeper into Gojyo's paranoia of being dependent on others because of his past, and Hakkai embracing, but still hating his dark side. Hakkai's actually my favourite in the ikkou, but man is he one seriously crazy cookie. :')

Enjoy!

* * *

The rain came unexpectedly, the droplets quickly becoming a heavy shower and drenching him instantly. _I… should have brought an umbrella,_Hakkai thought absently, raising an arm to shield his eyes from the rain. Except ever since he became a youkai, the cold and wet didn't bother him as much anymore, so he trudged forward anyway, hoping that Sanzo had some spare clothes in the temple for him when he arrived to tuition Goku.

_"You wanted to die, didn't you?"_

Hakkai's footsteps unconsciously slowed to a stop. Gojyo had known…

_"Jack of all trades, master of none?"_

_"That's me, I guess."_

_"Heh. Then join the club."_

They were the same, him and Gojyo. They were completely different, from their habits to their background; yet somehow, Gojyo had known. That meant that… Gojyo was…

Hakkai pressed a palm over his face, biting back a sigh. _I can't believe I'm doing this_. "Fine. To hell with it."

_Gojyo hadn't taken an umbrella with him when he left, after all._

_/_

Gojyo bit back a cry of pain as the other youkai hit him in the stomach. He let his head hang as he gasped for breath, hoping his hair covered up at least some of the pain he was sure was showing on his face._ Banri, you stupid fucker,_ he thought bitterly.

He'd laughed, when he was telling his captors that Banri had run long ago, that they shouldn't have let him near the door. He laughed because it was true that he knew Banri better than any of them did, from all those years watching him hightail it and run every single time things got bad.

Every. Single. Time.

And yet, every single time he still held onto that small hope that Banri would come back for him, even as he took the fall for him time and again, knowing full well that the youkai wouldn't come back.

Still, he had hoped.

_The stupid fucker's me, isn't it?_ Gojyo let out a breathless chuckle, screwing his eyes in anticipation of the next punch._ I'm the moron who gets soft every time someone's in trouble._

_And that's why it pisses me off. I never expected anything to begin with, not from others…_

He opened his eyes to come face-to-face with the youkai's gun. But he was calm, his gaze steady as he stared straight into the darkness within the gun's barrel. Life was disgustingly easy to live, but to die…

_… And certainly not from me._

The loud _bang_ had him flinching reflexively, but it was only hearing the angered shouts of the youkai around him that he realised the sound hadn't been from the gun's reverberation.

The sound of dripping water made him turn towards the doorway.

"Ah, sorry," said a cheery voice, and the white spots in Gojyo's vision were suddenly flying raindrops, flung from the tip of an umbrella.

His eyes moved past the droplets to the latest intruder, whose pleasant smile somehow managed to look cold and cruel at the same time as he wielded the umbrellas like one would a fencing sword.

_No way…_

"I thought I'd bring him an umbrella."

_What kind of crazy fucker brought _umbrellas_ to a gun fight?_

_/_

_Stupid._

Hakkai grimly fought his way through the several youkai who had met him at the front door to the gaming hell that served as the organization's base.

_What am I doing?_

He ran into Banri on the way back. The youkai actually had the audacity to raid their fridge (by kicking their door down again) for a beer before going on his way. Hakkai had done him the favour of _not_ breaking his legs; he figured that breaking Banri's arm (and some of his fingers) was sufficient to ensure that he never came back, and thoughtfully left his legs intact so he could run as far away from here as he possibly could.

He had warned Banri that it wasn't wise to anger him; if Banri hadn't listened, that was on him.

The youkai had left him with an interesting piece of information just before he left, however. "Going to rescue him now, are you?" Banri had asked mockingly from where he was leaning against the doorframe. "He won't appreciate you saving him, y'know. That guy never thinks he deserves anyone's help. Or expects help. That's just the kind of person he is."

Hakkai didn't respond, just casually drew two umbrellas from the umbrella stand in the same slow way a chef pulled out his cleaving knife to use on the chopping block.

When he turned back, Banri was gone.

Following the directions he'd beaten out of Banri had led him to where he was now, taking down youkai left and right with nothing but two umbrellas. It almost shocked him with how easy it was; his strength far surpassed his attackers', and his youkai nature, no matter how hard he tried to suppress it, still remembered the intense bloodlust and joy it got from killing. It was harder than he expected to only knock them out instead of outright killing them.

What was it that Sanzo had said? "It's a little too late for you to wear white," was it? Hakkai smiled, dark and bitter and entirely terrifying to the youkai he was currently facing.

If this was the alternative, he supposed he had no choice but to take it.

/

Hakkai tossed the two umbrellas onto the floor, throwing an almost comically regretful look at Gojyo. "What a shame, the umbrellas are ruined," he commented, as calmly as if discussing the weather. "And they were perfectly good ones too."

Gojyo, still on the floor tied to the chair, threw an incredulous look back at him. He'd always suspected that Hakkai was actually plain batshit crazy, and now the proof was standing right there in front of him.

"And now I'm stupid enough to get involved in this too," the green-eyed man continued with a sigh, his eyes narrowing as the remaining youkai closed in on him. Gojyo agreed, even though there had been something in him that had felt ridiculously grateful - even _touched_ \- that Hakkai had come for him (he didn't need help, dammit, he _didn't_).

"Look," Gojyo said hotly, "I said back at the house that it wasn't any of your business!"

"You also said that people don't change easily." The reply was calm, but Hakkai's eyes were firm. "I'm a jack of all trades, master of none."_ Like it or not, I know you. We're stuck in this together now._

Gojyo stared back, eyes wide, then let his head fall back with a smile. "So am I."_ To hell with it. I guess I could get used to someone waiting for me, eventually._

The sound of a sword being unsheathed startled Gojyo out of his thoughts. "Enough chit-chat!" one youkai growled. "You want a fight, you got it!"

_Shit!_ Gojyo struggled desperately against his bonds. _Hakkai's strong, but some of them here have guns. He can't fight all of them alone-!_

The sound of metal scraping metal brought everyone's attention to Hakkai. The expression on the man's face was dark, his eyes hidden behind the glare of his glasses. "I suppose I have no choice," he said with finality, reaching a hand to his ear. Gojyo couldn't _see_ anything happening, but all of a sudden there was an almost tangible feeling of vines wrapping around his body, threatening to suffocate, and the strange taste of blood and soil on his tongue.

"I'd warn you to be careful, though. It'll be hard for me not to kill you."

_Huh?_ Gojyo's head snapped up, his eyes immediately drawn to the figure emitting a terrifying aura in the room. Three silver earcuffs fell to the ground from a clawed hand, tiny dark vines tattooed on each finger and winding up his arm. Long brunette hair grew past the tips of pointed ears, and when Hakkai turned to look back at him, his left eye was gold and slitted, like a snake's.

_This is… his true form._

He tensed as Hakkai moved in a blur of motion, his claws slashing mercilessly at Gojyo's assailants. Their screams filled his ears as Gojyo tilted his head down, letting his hair fall over his face, focusing his gaze only on the red strands.

"Dammit, Hakkai," he whispered, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. He gritted his teeth, trying to block out the sounds of bodies being thrown across the room. This was why he never wished for anyone to save him; whenever someone did, someone else would get hurt. Or killed. Gojyo was no stranger to blood or death, considering his past, and back when he was mixed in with Banri's gang, he'd sometimes had to save his own life at the expense of another's.

But somehow… when someone else was doing the saving for him, he couldn't stomach it. He took a deep breath, pressing his face into the floor so he didn't have to see the carnage happening around him.

He didn't notice when it became quiet again, or when someone had come to him and slashed through the ropes binding him to the chair. A quiet "Gojyo?" right by his ear had him jerking up to meet mismatched eyes, one glassy green, the other a sharp, primal gold. Hakkai's glasses were gone, and there was blood all over his face and body, dripping off the hand he was holding out to Gojyo. Even with the concerned look on his face, Gojyo couldn't quite push away the first thought that rose in his mind at the sight.

_This is what Cho Gonou looks like… Cho Gonou, the murderer._

Taking in the shocked look on his face, Hakkai quickly retracted the hand, a flash of hurt crossing his face before it was quickly hidden behind a smile. Ashamed that his feelings had revealed themselves so easily, Gojyo winced. He really hated that smile. Hakkai only wore it when he was displeased, or disagreeing, ... or when it rained. "Shall we go home?" He asked brightly, too brightly in Gojyo's opinion. "Let me get my limiters… I'm sure they're around here somewhere..."

As the youkai turned away to search for his scattered limiters, Gojyo took the opportunity to fully _look_ at Hakkai's youkai form for the first time. The dark green vine tattoos were the most striking, most prominently across the bridge of his nose and on his neck. Those were unusual markings, even on youkai, but Gojyo thought they accentuated the man's delicate features rather well. The pointed ears and elongated claws made him unmistakably youkai, of course, as did the gold eye, and this was the first time Gojyo had actually witnessed what terrifying devastation Hakkai was capable of, but…

_"Hey, Sanzo, is he really a bad guy?"_

_"What are you getting at, monkey?"_

_"'Cos he doesn't really seem like one."_

_"Murder isn't necessarily equal to evil, right?"_

But it was still Hakkai.

Spotting a gleam of silver near his fallen chair, Gojyo snatched it up and walked over to his friend, placing a hand on his shoulder. Hakkai turned, his eyes wide, looking as if he didn't know whether to feel relieved or back away. "Gojyo -"

"Thanks for the save, Hakkai." Gojyo said, reaching forward to gently clasp the earcuff back onto the youkai's ear. With the first limiter on, all the vines except for the large one across his face receded from Hakkai's body, which left him looking strangely bare and vulnerable as he blinked up at him. Hakkai rolled the remaining two earcuffs in his palm, letting them clink together. "For a moment there… I thought you were afraid of me," the youkai murmurmed, not looking at him.

"To be honest, you scared me there for a moment," Gojyo admitted, slinging an arm around Hakkai's shoulder. "But then I thought that, if that had been you with a gun to your head, I'd have killed them all without hesitation, too," he continued, grinning. "'Can't let that handsome face go to waste, right?' I'll bet that's what you were thinking."

Hakkai snorted lightly at that, but otherwise remained silent, still staring down at the earcuffs.

"You wanted to die then, didn't you?"

The quiet question took Gojyo by surprise.

"I… Huh?"

"Back then, when the leader was holding the gun to your head." Hakkai clarified. "You wanted to die then, didn't you?"

"I… I don't…" Hakkai met his eyes then, and Gojyo suddenly found that he didn't have it in himself to lie, not when the youkai was the only one who had come for him when no one else did. "Heh, yeah, you're right. When he pointed that gun at me, I thought that it wouldn't be so bad if he killed me, y'know?"

"I see," Hakkai said, with absolutely no inflection in his voice at all. Then -

"It's a shame that I returned the favour, then." _Huh?_ Gojyo blinked stupidly at the green-eyed man, not comprehending for the second time in a row that night.

"That I didn't let you die." The grin Hakkai gave him looked more like a smirk, sickle-sharp and almost taunting. _Like he was laughing at me._

_… Sheesh. That guy's full of surprises, isn't he?_ "Yeah, yeah," Gojyo laughed. "Come on, I'm itching to go home already! And we gotta tell that shitty monk that we ended up doing his job for him anyway." He griped, catching Hakkai in a quick headlock before heading towards the door.

Shaking his head with a small smile, Hakkai snapped on his remaining limiters and quickly caught up with the half-youkai outside the building. Gojyo's smile widened when he saw what Hakkai was carrying. "Man, are you crazy or what? I can't believe you chose _umbrellas_ as the only weapon to bring with you on a rescue mission!"

Hakkai laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Actually, I brought them _with_ the intention to use them, but…" he gestured helplessly at the umbrellas, which were bent and torn beyond use.

Gojyo snorted, and smirked at his friend. "I clearly recall _Sanzo-sama_ saying that he'd reimburse us for any expenses, right?"

A mischievous gleam appeared in Hakkai's eyes. "Come to think of it, I _did_ put off grocery shopping today to go after you…"

_Snarky._ Yet another side he rarely saw, but definitely knew he liked, in the brunette. Bantering comfortably with Hakkai as they walked home together, Gojyo reflected on how the awkward tension that had surrounded them since they started living together was suddenly gone, as if the rain had somehow washed away all pretenses between them that night.

_S' nice, _he decided,_ to know there's someone watching my back for once._

* * *

58 is one of my OTPs, but I didn't have any pairings in this one because I felt it was too early into the friendship for there to be any romantic feelings yet. :) It's my first Saiyuki fic ever too, so I really hope that I managed to keep the boys in character.

I actually think that among the ikkou, Gojyo's the one who's least used to bloodshed and death. And given that this is probably the first time he's actually seen Hakkai's youkai form, he might have freaked out a little with all the murder Hakkai was committing for him, since that IS one of his traumas, after all. I've also always felt that one way or another, Hakkai would find a way to get back at Banri for abandoning Gojyo. Even as Gonou, Hakkai's the kind of guy who gets very, very protective over the people he cares about, to the point where he's more than ready to kill anyone who threatens their lives. So I think Banri actually got off pretty easily. :p

Leave me a review if you liked it!


End file.
